And So it Happens
by Ramenism
Summary: Sequl to 'And So'. Sakura meets Karin two years later and decides that it's not worth it.


And So It Happens

Sequel to 'And So'

Sakura had been assigned to prison duty.

And Sakura about threw a fit when Tsunade told her of her duty.

"You know who we are dealing with, and you would know how to deal with them."

Sakura did know who they were dealing with, and that is exactly why she didn't want to do this.

Naruto had finally gotten Sasuke back.

Along with his teammates, Suigetsu, Juugo…and Karin.

The same Karin she had met two years ago.

Sasuke's female teammate, Karin.

Her…_friend _(Was she really?), Karin.

Sakura about screamed murder and left Tsunade's office.

Tsunade folded her hands.

"What do you think that was about, Kakashi?"

Said ninja came out of the shadows.

"…I wouldn't know."

Silence.

"You've always been a bad liar."

.x X x.

Sakura sat for three hours, not moving once.

And as her fellow ninja prepared themselves for the nightshift at the prison, Sakura sat there; her elbow on her left hand and her right hand on her chin.

Thinking.

She was to see Sasuke tonight.

And to be honest, Sakura wasn't really bothered by him anymore.

Weeks following her meet with Karin, Sakura did a lot of thinking.

And she decided, even though she had only talked with her once, that it was okay to consider Karin as her…_friend._

Because Karin showed emotion. She showed determination and had feelings for another human being.

Nothing Sasuke ever did.

Sasuke determination stemmed from hate.

Sasuke's attachment to another person stemmed through hate.

Sasuke's strength stemmed through hate.

Sasuke was not his own person, for his power was only as strong as Itachi's power over him.

Sakura sat up.

It was time.

.x X x.

Karin did not mind being chained to a wall, really, she didn't.

But she had this inane itch on the side of her stomach, and it was really starting to bother her.

.x X x.

Sakura stood in a circular room, with four chambers. Each one held a member of team Hebi.

Her job was simple.

She was to watch them, and if she felt the need to, she could converse with them.

She was also told to make sure the chains were secured and that the chakra draining seals were in place.

She was to heal any wounds that they had accumulated.

Sakura started with Sasuke first.

She unlocked his cell, checked his chains, checked the seals, and left.

She then moved to her right, Juugo's cell. The one that Karin had said was 'hot'.

He looked…sad. Lost. Helpless.

Maybe that's why she showed him kindness.

"…my name is Sakura. How are you?"

After she checked his chains and the seals, he responded. "I'm…ok. My name is Juugo."

Sakura smiled softly. "Do you have any wounds?"

Juugo shook his head no.

Sakura nodded and moved on to the next cell.

Suigetsu.

As she stepped into his cell, he smiled, his sharp teeth glinting in the light.

"Ne, my name Suigetsu. You?"

Suspicious, Sakura replied, "Sakura. Why do you want to know?"

Suigetsu grinned again and said, "I like to talk. So you better have a good ear."

Sakura looked at him.

"…I'd like to listen."

Suigetsu's smiled faltered a bit. Why didn't she get so riled up like Karin always did?

"…you're weird."

Sakura finished her job and left.

Sakura stood in front of Karin's cell.

.x X x.

Karin looked up as she heard the 'ker-click' of her cell's door.

"…Sakura." She breathed.

Sakura looked at her, her green eye's shining fiercely, "Yes, Karin?"

Karin smiled awkwardly, "Long time no see, eh?"

Sakura looked at her, her mouth twisted oddly, "Yes, it has been a long time."

Silence.

"I'm glad you're our babysitter instead of that retard who captured us. He has an annoying voice."

Karin giggled as Sakura made a choking noise.

"No use in hiding your laughter, we are friends, aren't we?"

Sakura sat down beside her.

"Yeah, I guess we are friends."

Karin nodded towards Juugo's cell.

"I see you were trying to feel up on my man. I'm not the kind of chick to back down from a challenge!"

Sakura smiled cheekily, "You think you would win?"

If Karin's hands hadn't been chained behind her, she would've punched the air.

"Oh hell yeah! I could kick your scrawny pink butt!"

"Well, you really think that? Last time I checked I'm the one who's free and you're the one chained to the wall."

Karin had no comeback.

Suigetsu's voice rang loud and clear in the small room.

"Ne, Sakura-chan, that was good! One point in the malicious category."

Karin growled, "Listen you gay popsicle freak, do you want me to come over there and make sure you can never have any pleasure and eliminate you from the gene pool?"

"I'd like to see you try." came his bored reply.

Karin was stumped once more.

She really didn't mind being chained to a wall, really, she didn't!

.x X x.

Sakura watched in awe as Suigetsu and Karin swapped insults.

And oddly, it felt right.

Sakura could never remember feeling so much like a child.

She felt like she could be immature without anyone saying not to be.

Sakura started giggling.

Karin looked at her, her face flushed with embarrassment.

"Sakura, stop it!!! You're taking his side!"

Sakura put her hand over her mouth in an attempt to stop.

Karin looked at Suigetsu with contempt.

"It's all your fall, you freak. You've taken my friend to the dark side of the shark pond!"

At this point, Sakura couldn't hold it.

She burst out laughing. And she laughed, and she didn't stop.

Karin eventually joined in, and Suigetsu chuckled, and Juugo smiled happily.

They spent the remainder of the time talking about useless things and learning about each other.

Like how Karin's dad accidentally killed her dog one day while trying to get the kunai sharpened.

And how Suigetsu used to have a cactus complex…whatever that was.

And how Juugo referred to Suigetsu as 'popsicle man'.

Sakura left an hour later, saying that she would be back tomorrow.

After an hour, Karin spoke, "Ne Sasuke-kun?"

"…hn."

"Eh, remember how I said you were wrong about Sakura and Suigetsu started laughing at you and I said I wouldn't because everybody makes mistakes?"

Sasuke didn't respond.

"Well, I'm laughing now because you must have been high when you made that judgment. People make mistakes, but damn, you must've been dropped on your head when you were a baby."

Suigetsu smirked.

.x X x.

After about a week, Sakura had requested that she took over Naruto's and Shikamaru's shifts.

Tsunade raised an eyebrow, "What's with the change of heart?"

Sakura simply replied, "Naruto and Shikamaru have better things to do."

After a minute, Tsunade said, "Fine."

Inwardly, Sakura smiled like a fool.

.x X x.

Another week passed by and Sakura and Karin have become great friends.

But Sakura felt weird around Suigetsu now.

"Sakura…why are you so silent?"

Sakura frowned, "I don't know what you're talking about."

Suigetsu squinted his eyes at her. "I don't believe you."

He grabbed her wrist.

Sakura's frown deepened as she struggled to comprehend thoughts as she felt his warmth on her arm.

"…I don't know."

Suigetsu made a face.

"I think you should smile more often…you look pretty when you do."

Sakura finished her job quickly and turned around.

Her face burned and she could tell she was blushing.

_It's like I'm twelve all over again. _

Karin wasn't much help.

In fact, as Sakura sat down beside her, Karin had this arrogant, smug, smirk on her face.

"…What?" Sakura asked, rather annoyed.

Karin had an evil glint in her eye.

"…would you happen to have feelings for a certain Popsicle man…?

Sakura almost screamed, "No!"

That stupid smug look. "Eh…so defensive…that's the first sign of love, isn't it Juugo?"

Juugo nodded slightly.

Sakura shook her head furiously.

"Ne, Sakura, don't hide it."

"You hypocrite! I don't remember you telling Juugo anything!"

"What do you mean?" Karin said innocently.

Sakura glared.

Karin sighed and said loudly, "Eh, Juugo, you know I love you."

Juugo smiled slightly, "…I love you too."

Karin smiled again.

Sakura wasn't about to give up.

"What does that have anything to do with me and Suigetsu?"

Karin smiled for the umpteenth time, "Eh…there are many signs that are showing that you like him."

"Eh?" Sakura said, mocking interest, "What would they be, Karin-_sama_?

"Well. For one…"

Sakura and Karin bickered for a long while.

Suigetsu didn't know what to think.

They acted like he was deaf.

.x X x.

Once a week Kakashi, Naruto, and Sakura ate dinner together.

"Sakura-chan, you've seemed really happy these past couple of weeks! What's up?"

Sakura smiled. The only thing brighter than Naruto was the sun.

"Nothing much. I just bought some new shampoo, that's all."

Naruto made a face, "Girls are weird about their hair, aren't they Kakashi-sensei?"

Kakashi said nothing.

.x X x.

Sakura felt like honest to god crying.

Tsunade had just informed them that team Hebi had been sentenced to death.

Tomorrow.

.x X x.

Suigetsu looked at Karin, her frown matching his.

Sakura hadn't said a word to them in the past three hours.

She just sat in the chair, her head bent down.

Karin piped up, "Finally decided that your face was too ugly for the world to see?"

Sakura said nothing.

Karin bit her lip.

Suigetsu closed his eyes.

And for the next seven hours they just listened to each other breathe.

.x X x.

The next day Sakura couldn't bring herself to look at them.

She just stood close to the wall as Tsunade took Sasuke out of the cell, so the council could tell him the consequence of his actions.

"Sakura, come with me."

Sakura put her hand on the door handle.

"…I'll be there in a second Tsunade."

Tsunade nodded as she led Sasuke out.

Sakura breathed deeply.

She had a decision to make.

She was shaking, she could tell by the clanking of the loose door handle.

All she needed was a sign that she was going to do the right thing.

"Ne, Sakura, I don't mind being chained to a wall, really, I don't. It's just that I've got this itch on my side, and it's really started to bother me…."

And that's all that Sakura needed.

.x X x.

Just as Tsunade was going to tell Sasuke of his death sentence, a ninja ran into the room yelling,

"Tsunade-sama, the prisoners have escaped!"

Tsunade cursed.

Sakura!

.x X x.

Karin laughed merrily as she jumped through the trees.

"Sakura, what do you think we should do?"

Sakura shrugged.

"You did a nice thing back there, Sakura-chan." Suigetsu said as he slung his arm over her shoulder.

Sakura blushed.

Juugo decided it was time to speak, "…I think we should go find the Akatsuki…"

Karin grinned, "That would be interesting! I knew I didn't fall in love with you just because of your looks."

Karin gave them all a lop-sided.

"We can tell Itachi that his retard brother got himself caught 'n' killed."

Suigetsu frowned, "I hope he isn't as…weird as Sasuke is…or was."

As they ran as fast as they could Sakura realized she never told Karin what she wanted to tell her two years ago.

…oh well.

Sasuke was going to be killed in a couple of days anyway.

The End.

I'm thinking about making a sequel for this,

Huzzah! A sequel of a sequel!

Hope you liked!!

I realize they were OOC, but I had fun writing it. :)

I own nothing!!


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